


boil over

by krabershot



Series: curtain call [2]
Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Hurt No Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Secret Crush, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 17:34:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19909564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krabershot/pseuds/krabershot
Summary: Jake set down his toolbox and sat back. He gently pushed at Kate, getting her to move back. She stood up and took a few steps back. Jake touched something and the rusted hook above him clattered to the ground where Kate had been with a loud crash. Kate’s shoulders tensed at the sudden loud noise and she looked around in fear. The air was eerily silent as the two of them waited to see if they were caught out. All Kate could hear was their breathing, hers increasing in pace and Jake’s surprisingly calm. Something shifted in her vision and she blinked, reaching up to rub at her eye.There was nothing there. But something had definitely moved.





	boil over

Kate stumbled back into the clearing and kept walking until she reached the fire. She fell down to her knees and sat there in silence, violently shaking. She was unable to move, frozen in place. She felt someone beside her. They placed a heavy coat around her shoulders and her cold fingers pulled it closer to her body. Kate stared into the fire as her eyes glazed over. She couldn’t get the image of the dead bodies out of her mind. Meg lying amongst the grass with her chest split open. Dwight struggling for his life in the unmoving grip of that… thing. She hadn’t even seen Jake’s body. 

A quiet sob escaped Kate and the person beside her scooted closer. “I wish I could promise you that all gets easier, love,” David said quietly. “But we all find ways to deal with it.”

Kate turned to face David, tears staining her cheeks. “They’re all dead. All of them.”

David nodded. “I remember the first time I went out there. I did a lot worse than you,” he chuckled quietly. “Didn’t even make it out. Got a chainsaw through me by some ugly fucker.”

Kate frowned. “Wait. What do you mean you didn’t make it out?”

David looked at her in surprise. “Did…did no one tell you? You die out there, you still find your way. Just takes a lot longer and.. well, sweetheart, experiencing your death will do things to you. Fuck you up real good. You always come back a bit different.”

Kate let out a long breath and looked over her shoulder at the rolling fog. They were all out there somewhere, lost like she was. Kate found herself wondering what it was like to die. How it would have felt if that masked monster had gotten her instead of Dwight. She sniffed and leant into David, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt somewhat safer with him around. He was always soft around her. With others, he was some big tough guy. Always ready to brawl at a moments notice. She had seen the scars that littered his body. Heard the stories from his life on the edge. But he softened with her. They had a mutual trust. She had also found it with Jake. 

Jake didn’t like to talk much. He did speak when it was absolutely necessary, or when he felt at his most comfortable with Kate. He had been teaching her bits and pieces of sign so they could talk more. She liked his smile, and his warm hands. The way he held onto her fingers as he showed her the proper way to sign a word she just couldn’t get right. He said she was a natural learner but she had said it was how her hands worked. _‘All that guitar playing’_ he had laughed. She missed his laugh.

“How long? Until they get back?”

David sighed. Kate knew he must be missing Dwight. “We never really know. Hard to tell time in here but… soon.”

“What’re you two talking about?” Feng sat on the log beside David and pulled her knees up to rest her chin on them. She noticed Kate’s tears and rolled her eyes. “You ever stop crying?”

“A little sympathy, please?” David said. “You remember what it was like for your first trial. Dwight told me you didn’t talk for a week afterwards. Seems you did a lotta crying too.”

Feng sneered and wrapped her arms around her legs. “You learn to deal. Or you don’t and people get killed. So toughen up.”

David shook his head. “Don’t mind her. She’s never been much of a team player.”

Kate could never be sure of how time passed in the fog but she felt like days had passed before the three missing from the group eventually stumbled back into the clearing. Meg was shaking like a leaf and made a beeline for the girl with the soft French accent who was sitting by the fire. Claudette, if Kate remembered her name correctly. Dwight slowly walked toward David; the two of them seemingly stuck into their own world. Dwight had his hand pressed over the centre of his chest. Where the knife had plunged into him and upward, killing him. He found himself in David’s arms, David whispering quiet things into his ear. Kate craned her neck, looking past them all for the one person she wanted to see. Finally, Jake emerged from outside the fog and looking around the clearing, dazed and confused. He was wringing his hands in front of himself. Kate found herself running toward him, grabbing his hands in hers. 

“I thought you were gone forever,” she whispered. 

Jake blinked and pulled his hands from Kate’s. A flash of hurt ran through her before she realised he was signing to her. _“Not forever. Just a little while,”_ he gave her a gentle smile. _“I’m back now, though.”_

“I’m glad that you’re back,” Kate smiled nervously, looking down at her hands. “I missed you while you were gone.”

When she looked back up to Jake, he looked surprised but there was a small smile on his lips. _“I was thankful when Dwight told me you made it out.”_ he bit his lip for a moment, thinking, before adding onto what he had said. _“I’m sorry you had to see that.”_

Kate’s eyes filled with tears again and she rubbed her arm, thinking back to what Feng had said. She sniffed, willing her tears to go away. She didn’t need Feng back on her case about being too soft. Too easily upset. Jake reached out and linked his fingers through Kate’s. Her fingernails had been digging into her arm. She didn’t even notice. He smiled at her once again and jerked his head toward the fire, an eyebrow raised questioningly. Kate nodded with a quiet laugh and Jake led them toward the warmth. 

The next time Kate was called to trial, she noticed that Jake was walking out into the fog too. Claudette and Feng followed closely behind him. Claudette looked nervous and Kate sped up to match her pace. Maybe if she stuck with her, they wouldn’t get separated in the heavy fog. She had already lost sight of Jake and Feng in the distance, so she reached out to hold onto Claudette’s arm. The girl jumped slightly at the sudden contact and Kate apologised quietly. 

“That’s okay,” Claudette said with a warm smile . “I've got you.”

They walked together arm in arm through the rolling fog until it cleared around them. The two of them were standing in the middle of an empty room in a house. There was a dirty mattress flung onto the floor and the light above their heads flickered eerily. Claudette led them out of the room and out into a narrow hallway. Kate could see several open doorways ahead. Together they crept down the hall, past the stairway, while Claudette stuck her head into the rooms. She was searching for a generator to work on. Just as Kate was about to suggest they move downstairs, Claudette let out a small happy noise. She had found one for them to work on. 

Claudette settled down on one side of the generator and began working on it, tiny sparks flying past her hands. Kate knelt beside her and placed her hands on the side of the machine, the cool metal sending a shiver down her spine. She hadn’t quite learnt how to fix them by herself but she could manage with a friend. With some gentle guidance from Claudette, the two of them got the generator fixed and running in a couple of minutes. Claudette grinned at Kate and she found herself smiling back. Her energy was contagious. For once, Kate felt hope. 

Claudette walked slowly toward the open window, sticking her head out slightly. Kate shivered as she felt the cold breeze filtering in and Claudette looked back over her shoulder with another smile. “I just saw lights turn on across the street. That means two down, three to go!”

Kate moved a little closer, leeching Claudette’s body heat a little while they idled. Claudette seemed to notice and shuffled over a little, their arms touching. Kate looked down over the street and was shocked to see police cars that had pulled up outside of the house they were in. The lights were flashing red and blue, straining her eyes, and she could hear static from a radio that was hanging abandoned out of the open car door. She could see rows of houses lining the streets and in the distance, a playground. She wondered what neighbourhood they were in. If it was even real. 

“Do you know where we are?”

Claudette considered for a moment, biting her lip, before shaking her head. “Sometimes we get taken to places that seem familiar. Like we have been there before. But I don’t think I have been here before.”

Kate nodded slowly. “This is only my second time,” she looked over to Claudette, meeting her eyes. “In the trials, I mean. I think I’m still getting used to all of this.”

Claudette laughed gently and bumped her shoulder against Kate’s. “I don’t think you ever really get used to it… You learn to cope and you learn to exist within this new world we have been thrown into. We talk to each other and we learn from each other. It makes everything a little bit easier I think.”

The two of them stood in silence for a minute, staring down at the abandoned street below them. Suddenly, a loud bell rang out twice across the room and Kate jumped, whipping around to search for the source. Claudette’s eyes flicked around and she frowned when she couldn’t see anything. Kate’s breathing sped up and she began looking for places to hide when Claudette placed a warm hand on her arm and shook her head. 

“He’s not here,” her hand slipped down to wrap into Kate’s, linking their fingers together and giving a reassuring squeeze. “The bell signals his presence but sometimes it sounds over the whole area. No way to tell where he’s coming from.”

“What do you mean by signals his presence?” Kate asked, her voice brought down to a hushed whisper.

“People have taken to calling him the Wraith…He is invisible to the eye most of the time and when he rings the bell, he appears visible before you. He likes to sneak up on us and catch us off guard, but sometimes you can see him coming if you look really hard.”

Kate shivered and looked down at the stairs. In the distance, there was a loud scream of pain. Shortly after, another generator rumbled to life down the road. Claudette jerked her head towards the stairs and tugged Kate along. They had to keep moving and find another generator to work on together. 

They walked down the street together and Kate took a moment to look around at their surroundings. Houses lined both sides of the street and there were cars lying discarded on the road, doors flung open. The lights from the police cars flashed constantly and Kate could see a for sale sign out the front of the house they had just left. The air around them was cold and Kate found herself wondering if they would ever get taken to somewhere warm. She wondered what the Wraith looked like. She had only ever seen that monster of a man who had taken the lives of everyone except hers last time she was thrown into the arena. She wondered if the Wraith looked like a human or if he would look like a true monster. He had the power to render himself invisible so what would a creature like that look like?

Gentle crying filtered through the street and Kate looked around, searching. She found Feng curled up behind a white picket fence, clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. When she called out to her quietly, Feng’s tears immediately stopped. She rubbed at her eyes furiously, hiding any trace that she had been crying, and huffed. Claudette knelt beside her and held out a hand questioningly. Feng moved her arms begrudgingly and let the girl begin to look over her wounds. But when Kate moved to help, she jerked backwards roughly, away from her.

“No,” she stated bluntly, her arms moving back to cover her stomach. “Not you.”

Kate flushed red and took a step back. She began stuttering an apology, watching the way Feng rolled her eyes, and Claudette looked back at Kate. “Maybe go and try to find Jake,” she offered. “He might need some help with the last few generators.”

Her hands curled into fists, Kate nodded and left the two girls alone behind the picket fence. She walked slowly to the end of the street and found herself in a large paved patio area. A large iron pole with a rusted hook swinging on the top sat ominously by a long white fence. Kate could hear the clinking of tools nearby but couldn’t see a generator anywhere. She crept forward, a frown creasing her forehead, until she eventually saw Jake’s familiar green coat seated at the base of the hook. He was fiddling with something and Kate crouched beside him, trying to get a better look. He jumped, a gasp escaping him, and Kate winced. 

_“Sorry,”_ she signed to him. _“I forgot to call out first.”_

_“That’s OK. I am messing with the creature’s hook so I am a little on edge,”_ Jake gave her an easy smile and bumped her shoulder. _“I’m almost done.”_

Kate sat cross-legged beside Jake as he used his toolbox to sabotage the hook swinging above them. She liked watching him work. He sometimes stuck his tongue out when he was concentrating really hard and she found it truly endearing. He also liked to hum to himself as he worked but Kate wasn’t sure if he even knew he was doing it. Kate found herself smiling as she watched him, fiddling with her hands in her lap. She did feel bad she couldn’t be more help but she knew she was still new; still learning. In the distance, there was a loud scream immediately followed by another shorter cry. Jake didn’t move so Kate stayed where she was too. 

“Oh!” Kate was surprised when Jake exclaimed out loud, raising a finger up to wave at her. “Birds!”

Kate looked at him in confusion as he stood up, urging her to follow him. Kate moved with Jake as he walked to the large brick wall that surrounded the whole arena, far too tall to climb over. David told her that he had once tried. There was a gathering of huge boulders nestled against the wall and Kate could see a black crow perched on top of one of them. Jake slowly walked toward the crow, his hand outstretched, until he reached the bird. He pet down the bird’s head gently and the crow squawked quietly. Jake looked back at Kate, his eyes shining with excitement. 

“They like me,” he said in a hushed voice. “They don’t get spooked when I move past, unlike the others.”

Kate grinned as the crow climbed onto Jake’s arm, its claws digging into his jacket. He laughed, scratching the top of its head before placing it back down on the boulder. He nodded slowly and headed back to the hook. Kate crouched beside him, closer than she was before. She was almost close enough that they were touching and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

“Just wanted to show you the crows,” Jake said. “They’re friendly.”

Jake set down his toolbox and sat back. He gently pushed at Kate, getting her to move back. She stood up and took a few steps back. Jake touched something and the rusted hook above him clattered to the ground where Kate had been with a loud crash. Kate’s shoulders tensed at the sudden loud noise and she looked around in fear. The air was eerily silent as the two of them waited to see if they were caught out. All Kate could hear was their breathing, hers increasing in pace and Jake’s surprisingly calm. Something shifted in her vision and she blinked, reaching up to rub at her eye. 

There was nothing there. But something had definitely moved. 

A loud bell sounded beside them and Kate gasped, stumbling backwards. For the first time in this trial, she was faced with the Wraith. He had to be at least 7 feet tall and he held what appeared to be a spinal cord, skull still attached, in his dirt covered hand. His tiny glowing eyes stared down at her and she was frozen in place with fear. His arm raised to swing and Kate found herself being yanked backwards by Jake. He had her hand in his as he pulled her along, the Wraith narrowly missing his shot on her. 

Kate’s heart pounded in her chest as she ran for her life with Jake. She almost pulled her hand away to show she could make it on her own, but for the moment she found comfort in his warm hand wrapped around hers. He led them into one of the many abandoned houses and dragged Kate up the stairs. He then pointed to her and then pointed out the window. Kate shook her head, her eyes wide, and Jake frowned. He looked around them, looking for another way out, and his eyes came to rest on a large dark red locker propped against the wall. He opened it and gestured for Kate to climb inside. She obliged, her back pressed against the cold wood and Jake gave her a reassuring smile as he closed the locker. 

Kate pressed herself back as far as the space would allow, her eyes darting around to watch what little she could through the miniscule slats on the locker. She saw as Jake quietly climbed out of the window and bit back a gasp as she heard the thud outside as he landed. Kate had to lift a hand to her mouth to stifle her heavy breathing as the Wraith walked up the stairs. Jake had just narrowly avoided being seen by the monster. The Wraith turned a slow circle, looking down at the ground. Kate wondered what he was searching for. She watched in horror as he turned to look at the locker she was hiding in. He flipped the spinal cord he held in his hand over a few times and moved forward, his free hand reaching out for the locker. Suddenly he stopped, his head whipping to the left, staring down the staircase. He let out a grunt and followed whatever he had heard downstairs, ringing his bell to disappear from sight.

Kate shook, her chest heaving, as she climbed out of the locker as quietly as she could manage. Every fibre of her being was telling her to stay hidden; to wait it out. But she knew if she stayed, the Wraith would eventually come back to check on his original hunch. The way that he moved and studied the ground showed her that he was a tracker and she didn’t want to take her chances staying behind in a place he already suspected. She stood at the top of the stairs, craning her neck to see if she could see him moving down there, but found nothing. She placed one foot on the top stair and winced when it creaked as she added pressure. Kate made it halfway down the stairs before she heard the sound of the Wraith’s bell as he reappeared at the base of the staircase. 

She scrambled back up the stairs, stumbling and almost falling down, as a scream ripped from her throat,. She made it back up and lunged for the window, vaulting over with some difficulty. She heard the sound of the Wraith’s weapon hitting the window sill as he missed her and Kate grunted as she hit the ground. Her knees flared in pain but she took off at a sprint. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw that the Wraith had almost caught up with her, impossibly fast. He raised his weapon and brought it down on her, ripping into her shoulder and tearing through her skin. She cried out in pain but kept running. 

An alarm blared overheard, signalling that the gates could be opened, and the Wraith snarled. He seemed to gain speed as he ran after Kate. Her legs burned as she ran, unsure of where she was running to. In the distance, she spotted the large framework of the exit gates looming; still closed. With one final swing, the Wraith hit Kate a final time and she fell to the ground. She laid there in the wet grass, curled up into a ball. Tears pricked in her eyes and she squeezed them shut. Suddenly she felt herself being picked up and her eyes flew open. 

The Wraith threw her over his shoulder and began carrying her away. Kate kicked her legs and beat her fists against his back. Maybe if she could just get him to drop her she could try to make it to the gate in time to leave with the others. She turned to see where he was taking her and her heart sank as she saw the hook. She flopped down in defeat, her arms swinging behind the Wraith. He lifted her with ease and Kate screamed her throat raw as the rusted hook burst through her chest. She coughed wetly as she looked down at the point emerging from her body. As she hung there, somewhere in her mind she wondered how she was still alive. With a loud ring, the Wraith disappeared quickly and Kate felt some relief. Maybe there was still hope for her to be saved. 

That hope quickly dwindled when she realised she could see the Wraith’s outline slowly circling her. He wasn’t going anywhere. He wasn’t going to let anyone near her. Kate looked around to see if she could see any of her team mates but couldn’t find anyone. Tears slowly ran down her cheeks as she gently swung on the hook. The pain had become a dull ache and she couldn’t feel her legs anymore. Maybe Claudette and Jake knew it was hopeless to try a rescue mission. She knew Feng would never risk her life to save Kate’s so it was safe to assume she was long gone. 

Long black spines emerged from out of the hook’s frame and shuddered around Kate. She was too exhausted and in too much pain to be frightened anymore. Some part of her mind supplied her with the memory of Dwight explaining the stages of being on the hook. This was the part where the mysterious Entity tried to take her for itself. The long and jagged spines moved closer towards her and Kate reached out to stop them from sinking into her body. Her arms shook as she struggled against the sharp spines, openly crying now. She just wanted it to be over. 

The Wraith reappeared in front of her and walked forward until his face was right in front of Kate’s. He smelled like gasoline and dirt. The sharp pin pricks glowing in his face studied her for a moment before he took a step back. The spine and skull he held dangled limply by his side. The black and white striped fabric he wore over his shoulders fluttered in the wind as he stared at Kate.

“Why do you continue to struggle?” he asked her. Kate was surprised to hear his voice. It was low and crackly, rumbling in his chest like he was about to lose it. “All of your friends have left. I watched them leave.”

Kate gasped in a deep breath as the spines applied extra pressure, almost breaking her. “I-I don’t know,” she cried. “I thought they would come back for me.”

The Wraith’s head tilted to the side, curious. “Two were hesitant to leave. One pulled two through the wall.”

Kate’s grip loosened on the deadly spines as they pressed closer towards her. She gently nodded and let go, letting them pierce into her. She retched as she felt them all stabbing into her body, slowly killing her. The pain was overwhelming as she felt her blood gushing out of her and onto the grass below. The Wraith just stared at her, unmoving, as her body was enveloped in the Entity’s dark spines. His eyes followed her as the Entity carried her upwards to the sky and Kate closed her eyes. 

When she opened her eyes again, Kate was back in the endless rolling fog. Her hands came to rest on her stomach. She could still feel the sharp points sticking in her like she was some sort of macabre pin cushion; a phantom pain. Kate looked forward into the fog and sighed. Time to find her way back to the warmth of the campfire.

**Author's Note:**

> part 2 of kate denson im so sorry for what ive done to you
> 
> i think this one was more of an.. explanation heavy one. i tried to add more mechanics into it. but i had a lot of fun! and kates making friends! and developing a crush 
> 
> oh uh! bonus points if u guess the perks & add ons i gave the wraith :3 id also place him around rank 17.. poor baby killer..


End file.
